Political, social, and economical condition of african american in maya angelou poems

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Name

: Agus Nugraha

Reg.

: 1020206024480

Title

:

This paper has been defended before the Examination Committee of Adab and

Humanities Faculty on August 30, 2010. It has been accepted as a partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the Degree of Strata One (S1).

Jakarta, August 30, 2010

The Examination Committee

Signature

Date

1. Dr. H. Muhammad Farkhan, M.Pd

19650919 200003 1 002

(Chair Person)

________

2. Drs. Asep Saefuddin, M.Pd

19640710 199303 1 006

(Secretary)

________

3. Danti Pudjianti S.Pd.MM

197312201999032004

(Advisor)

________

4. Elve Oktafiyani M.Hum

197810032001122002

(Examiner I)

________

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i

Agus Nugraha,

Political, Social, and Economical Condition of African

American in Maya Angelou Poems

.

_{Thesis. Jakarta: English Letters Department,}

Letters and Humanities Faculty, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, August

2007.

The research concerns on extrinsic element of three Maya Angelou’s poems

that related to the social condition in America. For the object of research, he chooses

three Maya Angelou’s poems; they were

On Pulse Morning, Still I Rise,

and

Preacher Don’t Send Me.

The writer uses descriptive analytic method. The research is started by

explicating the poems and correlating the poems with history. The correlation is

focused on the race discrimination and struggle issue which occur on these poems,

and history of America at 19th century. The writer uses the sociology of literature

theory to analyze the social condition in the poems.

As the conclusion, the writer found the correlation between the poems and

its historical background. The poems describe the discrimination and struggle in

America at 19

century. There is also correlation between the discrimination and the

poet background as African-American who lived in America.

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A Thesis

Submitted to Letter and Humanities Faculty in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

Strata 1 Degree

AGUS NUGRAHA Reg. 12026024480

ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT

ADAB AND HUMANITIES FACULTY

STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH

JAKARTA

2010

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I here by that this submission is my original work and that, to the best my

knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by

another person nor material which to substantial extent has been accepted for the

award of any other degree or diploma of the university or other institute of higher

learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in text.

Jakarta, August 23

, 2010

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ABSTRACT... i

APPROVEMENT ... ii

LEGALIZATION ... iii

DECLARATION ... iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... v

TABLE OF CONTENT ... vi

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION……….. A. The Background of Study ... 1

B. The Focus of Study ... 5

C. The Statement of Problems ... 5

D. The Significance of Study ... 6

E. The Method of Study ... 6

1. The Method of Research ... 6

2. The Technique of Data Analysis ... 7

3. The Research Instrument ... 7

4. The Unit Analysis ... 7

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A. Understanding The Poem ... 10

1. Definition of Poem ... 9

B. Sociology of Literature ………. 11

C. Racism ………. 13

1. The Definition of Racism ... 14

2. The Forms of Discriminations ... 17

CHAPTER III THE RESEARCH FINDING

1. Data Description

...

18

1. Preacher Don’t Send me ... 18

2. Still I Rise ... ... 20

3. Equality……….. ... 22

2. The Analysis of Data ... 23

1. Preacher Don’t Send me ... 23

2. Still I Rise……… ... 27

3. Equality………... ... 31

CHAPTER IV CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS A. Conclusions……….. ... 34

B. Suggestions……… 35

BIBLIOGRAPHY ... . 36

APPENDIX ... 48 Appendix 1 Biography

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In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful.

First of all, the writer would like to thank to Allah SWT for his favor and guidance to him in completing this paper he does believe there is nothing he could do without his help. All praise belongs to Him, the creator of living things from being nothing to exist. May solution and benediction be into the nobles of the prophet and messenger, Muhammad SAW.

On this occasion, the writer would like to thank his beloved parent for giving him their full financial and spirit support during his study and the process of making the thesis.

Then the writer would like to thank Miss.Danti Pudjianti S.Pd MM. the advisor giving guides him during the process of research. The writer realizes without her help, this research will mean nothing.

Then the writer would like to thank some people who have contribute d much, while this paper is in process until it becomes a complete work they are as follows:

Dr. Abdul Chair, MA, the dean of Adab and Humanitis Faculty, Dr. H. Muhammad Farkhan, M.Pd

1. the Head of English Letter Department and all staff of Adab and Humanities Faculty.

2. All lecturers of English Departement for teaching precious knowledge ad wonderful experience.

3. My big family

4. All my friends in KMF Kalacitra UIN, IKPM Banten, IKPM Tangerang who always support me in in finishing this work.

Finally the writer hopes this study will be useful especially for the writer him self and those who were interested in it. May Allah SWT bless us Amiin

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INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Literature can be divided into four types; there are Poetry, Prose, Non Fiction and Drama. Laurence Perrine says that poetry is as universal language and almost ancient.1 Like other daily language activity, poetry heads for conveying the information, but the poets use language with their pattern.

The work of art is a historic fact, an art cannot be separated from his own history when and why it is created, because an art was created at specific circumstance and many factors will influence the artist. Literary cannot be separated from its writer. Many things influence the writer when creates a work such as the sociology of writer, her and his circumstance or the society where the writer lives and writer communities’ history. The poet as a woman – or a man- is affected by the wisdom, the attitude, the occurrences and the issues of the world about the poet.

Literary works became the media to socialize the opinion, the ideas and experiences, as values to the society. So that, the literary may have big contribution in influence and deliver the value to the reader. Even the literary is written by his creator as individual or as individual work but the theme he or she writes is the problem of his society. In this case the poems themselves as the representative of the society. The poet is trans-individual construction and not

Perrince Laurence, Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry. (Third edition Orlando Harcourt Brance Collage Publisher, 1969). P.3

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only the representation of his or her self.2

Racism issue is interesting, as if racism is never ending issue, we can find the historical fact and earlier fact in any states, when racism became basic reason of conflict, abuse, violence, and genocide and many discussions, books, and some organizations talk and concern about racism. In other hand, racism issue also become main theme in much art works such movies, drama, literary and others. In America many literary works talk about racism, mostly created by African American.

Over the years, so many students was interested in racism discourse even in literary work. This issue became big attention in this context the writer has big attention especially in the literature. The writer chooses the Maya Angelou3 poems because most of her literary work themes are about the discrimination and the life experience of African American. And the most important thing is she is an important figure in the American civil right movement.

Based on the reasons above the writer is interested in Maya Angelou works, she is an author, poet, historian, stage and screen producer. Angelou is the first women who write and delivers her poem, at the inauguration for president at his request.

According to Angelou the art cannot be apart from the people and whole

Nyoman Kutha Ratna, Teori Metode dan Teknik Penulisan Sastra, (Yogyakarta : Penerbit Pustaka Pelajar, 2004) Cet ke-1,h.124.

Maya Angelouwas born as Marguerite Ann Jhonson in St. Louis, Missouiri, on April 4, 1928. Angelou is an author, poet, historians, song writer, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer singer and civil right activist. In 1959, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King jr. Maya angelou become northeren coordinator for the southern Christian leadership conference. In 1993, Angelou wrote and delivered poem “on the pulse of morning” at the inauguration for president bill Clinton at his request.

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art works just for the people. Angelou was born as African American and she had big attention and participation for civil right movement, in 1959, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Maya become the northern coordinator for the southern Christian leadership conference.4

In Maya Angelou poems, the writer sees the relation between the poems and her society as her background where she lived. Maya Angelou herself was African American and most of her poems tell about African American miseries, torture, abuse, poverty, segregation, violence, and discrimination.

Actually, Americans treatment toward African American was contradictive with their concept about American dreams, American concept about freedom; equality of opportunity which it’s mean, every American has equal chance for enter the race and win. In other words the race for success is affair one and that person cannot win just because he or she was born into African American family or lose because she as African American.

One of Maya Angelou’s poems Preacher Don’t Send Me told about the wornness of African American to live in the same life after his death. The persona assumes that his life today like living in the hell. The persona describes the ghetto as hell which there is no prosperity inside this world. This description can be founded by the reader in first stanza Preacher don’t send me /When I die /To some big Ghetto /In the sky/Where rats eat cats/Of the leopard type/And Sunday branch /Is grits and tripe

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This poem told about African American worries, the African American was worrying to live in the same life after his death. The Ghetto was imagined as the hell, where the whole experiences in ghetto as the horrible experiences. The African American had no chance for competition, good position in job, equality treatment at public area, life in ghetto was hard, many violence, prostitute, because of their less education and jobless, the superior ( the white) kept the African American in such condition for keeping them in stupidity, poverty, and misery. Ghetto areas were economically disadvantaged areas as the location of the areas were often isolated from its outer world.

The meaning of Ghetto in the Oxford dictionary is:

"An area of a city where many people of the same race or background live, separately from the rest population".5 Ghetto is an area where people from a specific racial or ethnic background are united in a given culture or religion lives as a group, voluntarily or involuntarily, in milder or stricter seclusion. The term Ghetto is referring to racist, elitist and culturally insensitive, and the mention of such a word to describe a working-class ethnic community is considered a generalization or an insult6

The other Maya Angelou poem is Still I Rise, this poem also told about segregation and discrimination of African American, this is example of her poem: You may shoot me with your words/You may cut me with your eyes/You may kill me with your hatefulness.../. This poem discussed clearly about the discrimination

A.S Horn By, Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary,(Newyork ; Oxford University Press) Sixth Edition,2000, p.19

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and conditions of their life. The chosen words, shoot, cut, kill gave us the information how terrible the discrimination to African American at the time.

The Equality also discussed about discrimination and segregation in America. In this poem, the African American became invisible human I stand before you boldly, Trim in rank ‘they dehumanized by the superior. The white hatefulness imaged as the sight of white as if in deem even the African American was in front of the white eyes.

B. The Focus of Study

The research focused on the three Maya Angelou poems:

Equality, Preacher Don't Send Me, Still I Rise. From these three poems the writer will analyze the words which were chosen by Angelou and the sociological background of poems.

C. The Statement of Problems

Based on the background of the study above and the focus on the study, the writer formulated the statement of the problems dealing with sociology of literature in poetry:

1. What is the African American’s condition in the three Maya Angelou poems?

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D. The Significance of Study

By analyzing the intrinsic element in three of Maya Angelou poems: Preacher Don’t Send Me, Still I Rise, and Equality, the writer wishes to find the social condition of African American; social, politic, economy, which described in those poems.

E. The Method of Study

1. The Method of The Research

The method that the writer uses in this research is descriptive qualitative. The researcher concerned to scientific data, and correlated the data with context. In the analysis the researcher explains the description and image that exist in the poems by relating them with the race discrimination and struggle of African American at nineteenth century in America. The writer also uses content analysis. It means the writer tries to analyze the poems by finding out and interpreting the content, the meaning, and the message that exist in data.

2. The Technique of Data Analysis

In this study, the writer uses the sociology of literature theory to analyze the data, and uses the textual-analytical as the technique of data analysis. The collected data will be analyzed and discussed in order to answer the research questions above by using qualitative method.

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3. The Research Instrument

The instrument in this research is the writer himself by reading and analyzing the whole text in the three Maya Angelou’s poems. The poems will be analyzed carefully by underlining the stanzas, lines, sentences or words that related to visual imagery. Besides analyzing the data, the writer also puts it as the evidence in this research.

4. Unit Analysis

The unit analysis used the three Maya Angelou poems:

Equality (P.232), Preacher Don't Send Me (P.257), Still I Rise (P.163). Taken from the book "The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou published by Random House, Inc. New York: 1994. 5. Place and Time

This research is accomplished in State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta and Library center.

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CHAPTER II

THE THEORITICAL REVIEW

A poem is one of literary works, and what is literary works? Jakob Sumardjo and Saini define literary works as “sastra adalah ungkapan pribadi manusia yang berupa pengalaman, pemikiran, perasaan, ide, semangat, keyakinan dalam suatu bentuk gambaran kongkret yang membangkitkan pesona dengan alat bahasa”.1

The poem works are created by the people. Poets use their works to express their idea, feeling, experience, or the description of something. A poem is one of literary works which influenced by their cities and giving influences to their cities.

The artists have potential to make social construct of the people or the society. Literary works can be used as an intellectual movement and entertainment. The poem is also created by an artist, which lived and write in specific time and under specific circumstance which inevitably account for some the qualities of his art, based on this reason we cannot avoid deliberately many question of a historical biographical facts about the poet, speculation about the circumstances under which the poem was written, inquiries many factors which could have influenced the substance and the language chosen by a particular poet at particular time.

Terry Eagleton said “There are two main ways in which an interesting the

Jakob Sumarjo dan Saini K.M Apresiasi Kesusastraan, (Jakarta ; PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 1991) cet. Ke-3,p.3.

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sociology of literature can be justified. The first from of justification is (in the epistemological sense of term) realist: is in fact deeply conditioned by its social context and any critical account of it which omits this fact is therefore automatically deficient. The second way is pragmatist: literature is in fact shaped by all kinds of factors and readable in all sorts’ contexts, but highlighting its social determinants is useful and desirable from particular political stand point”.2

The Sociological critic assert that since all men are the product of a particular of time and place, we can never truly understand a work without some understanding of social forces that molded the author and all that he did and thought.3

Many art works are used as a media to socialize the idea and opinion, one of art works is poem. Many poets use this media, in this context as media to reflect the history and condition as approach to reduce prejudice, show the freedom, and to show the right of individual that whole people are equal and the people should not be discriminated based on their ethnic or race.

A. Understanding The Poem 1. Definition of Poem

Word “poetry” comes from Greece “Poeima”, means “make” or” Poeisis” means “making”. Poetry is meant as “make” or “making”, because the poet

Terry eagleton, Literature and Social Practice,ed.Philippe desan,Priscilla Parkhust Fergusson and Wendy Griswold,(Chicago: The University Of Chicago Press, 1995),p.90

Ed. Richard abcarian and marvin klotz, Literature The Human Experience( Newyork, St Martin Press) Second Edition,1978,p.1126

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actually achieved “making” a new world with his own couplet which can realized through the certain messages and atmosphere, even internal and external4. Poetry may be defined as the medium to convey poet’s ideas or experiences. Through poems the poet can express his internal feeling to the world in response to the problem around him

A poem is a verbal composition designed to convey experiences, ideas, or emotions in a vivid and imaginative way, characterized by the use of language chosen for its sound and suggestive power and by the use of literary techniques such as meter, metaphor, and rhyme.5

Poetry might define as a kind of language that say more and says intensely and does ordinary language.6

William Wordsworth defines poem as the spontaneous of powerful feeling, it take origin feeling from emotion recollected in tranquility.7

Leight Hunt defines a poem as "the utterance of passion for truth, beauty, and power embodying and illustrating its conceptions by imagination and fancy, and modulating its language on the principle of variety in unity”.8

Macaulay defines a poem as “the art of employing words in such manner

Aminuddin, Pengantar Apresiasi Karya Sastra, (Bandung, Penerbit Angkasa, 1987)p.134

http;// www.thefreedictionary.com/poem.(9/19/2007 8;02 PM)

Perrine Laurence (1969),Loc Cit p.3

Drury John, Creating Poetry; How to begin A poem, Use Word Combination And view Form: Apply the Lessons From Master Poets to Individual Poems to Individual Poems , Choose and uses Images and Words carefully and much more, (New York; F& W publications Inc, 1991). p.5.

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as to produce as illusion on the imagination.

Poem is the art of doing by means of words what the colors”.9

B. Sociology of Literature

Society is a place where human nature live and do many things, and sociology is a ‘tool’ to see and analyze the relationship between human (either as individual or group) and society. Sociology is scientific study about human on society; the study of institute and social process. By seeing the social structures and all issues of economic, politic, religion and so on, we will get picture of the ways of human being in adapting themselves to their environment, the mechanism of socialization, and cultural process.

Like sociology, literature also deals with human being in society: human’s effort to adapt him or herself and to change the society. Literary work contains the relation of human with his world and its problem; economic, politic, social, and so on. Sociology of literature is a way or tool to see and analyze the relationship between literature and society; the author, the literary works, and the society. The poet is a member of society, so the poet can make the social condition as his/her inspiration.

Damono divides the object of sociology of literature research into three clasification:

1. The social context of author. Analyzing the relationship between author and his/her position in society; .

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2. Literature as mirror of society. Analyzing the literature as reflection of social condition.

3. Social function of literature. Analyzing the literary value and its relationship to social value, and how far literature is functioned as consoler and media of social education to the readers.10

From the clasification above, the sociology of literature can be applied through three perspectives; first literary text perspective, second biography perspective, and the last is receptive perspective. Literature is one of social documents which reflect the situation in society. Literature can record what occure in society, and can be used to explore the social history. The research gets literary work as a mirror of the writer’s social condition, and as a manifestation of historical event and socio-cultural condition.

According to Warren and Wellek, since every writer is a member of society, he can be studied as a social being. Though his biography is the main source, such a study can easily widen into one of the whole milieu from which he came and in which he lived. It will be possible to accumulate information about the social provenience, the family background, the economic position of writers.11 It means the author has important role in producing a literary work, he or she writes what he or she see and feel.

By using this approach, the writer tries analyze three Maya Angelou

Damono, Sapardi Djoko, Sosiologi Sastra: Sebuah Pengantar Ringkas, (Jakarta: Pusat Pengembangan Bahasa Dan Departemen Pendidikan Dan Kebudayaan, 1984). p. 4-5.

Wellek, Rene and Austin Warren, Theory of Literature. (New York: A Harvest Book, 1956). p.84.

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poems to see the social condition in America, especially which relates to Afro-America. The writer hopes to find real condition in the past; in economic, politic, social, culture.

C. Racism

Over the centuries ago racism existed in their form. Long time ago racism existed in slavery system. In this system the slave had to serve their master. They had no self decision and fate, their fate in their hand master. In this system the slave as cursed human as if they cursed to always become inferior human.

The idea of racism was supported by the growth of social Darwinism and his concept of survival for the fittest. According to Darwin that people struggle to survive and the superior (powerful and the rich) must be the fittest in evolutionary scheme.

Other sciences supported the racism; such Anthropology supported this by the argument of polygenesis. According to Morton in his theory of polygenesis “black and Caucasians were already distinct 3,000 years ago, and Noah’s sons couldn’t account for all the racial variation. Morton scientifically proved that Caucasians were intellectually, superior by measuring skull capacity. Caucasians had brains with an average size of eighty seven cubic inches, Indians fells in the middle and the black had smallest brain size.12

Racism has been a motivating factor in social discrimination, racial

Paul A.Shackle, Memory In Black And White, Race; Commemoration and The Post Bellum Landscape, (Oxford; Almitra Press,2003), p.8

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segregation, hate speech and violence.

Anthropology also supports the idea of racism, an anthropologist, Henry leis Morgan, Supporting the idea by his work when creating a “scientific” rank of human group that ranged from savagery to barbarism to civilization. Western societies achieved the rank of civilization, while new groups encountered though exploration and imperialism were placed in other two categories.

These theories supported the idea that the God had ruled and classified his creator (Human) in categories, Such superior and inferior, the whites became the superior human and outside of the whites were inferior and the inferiors had to obey and serve their master (the whites).

Racism is a belief system or doctrine which postulates a hierarchy among various human races or ethnic groups. It may be based on an assumption of inherent biological differences between different ethnic groups that purport to determine cultural or individual behavior.

1. The Definition of Racism

The meaning of racism in Oxford dictionary is: "The unfair treatment of people who belong to a different race; violent, behavior toward them”.13 It means the belief that some races of people are better than others.

Racism may define as a belief system or doctrine which postulates a hierarchy among various human races or ethnic groups. It may be based on an

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assumption of inherent biological differences between different ethnic groups that purport to determine cultural or individual behavior. Racism may be described as a strong form of ethnocentrism, including traits such as xenophobia (fear and hate of foreigners), views against interracial relationships (anti-miscegenation), ethnic nationalism, and ethnic stereotypes.

Racism commonly is defined as believe or doctrine which inherent biological differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, with corollary that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.

The prejudice or the judgment of members of particular group and discrimination were created by several conditions:

1. Colour

Discrimination of white to darker skinned such to the Italian, Asians, and African American.

2. Cultural Differences

Shared cultural values, such language and religion, guarantee more tolerance, such protestant more tolerant to the Christians than Jews. In cultural values, such in America, black, Indians, Asian American, have difficult than other group in dealing with whites in the America.

3. Economic Interest

When one group is economically dependent upon exploiting a minority, prejudice will be more intense, slavery is an example.

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This case occurred, when whites prohibited African American from learning new skills that would allow them to compete with white for industrial jobs. Therefore, with the aid of northern industrialist and southern agriculturalist depend on black labor to produce cotton, African American return to the field as tenant farmers and sharecroppers.14

5. Demography

If an ethnic group small and scattered, prejudice is less intense, but if the ethnic group is large and concentrated, the sense of in security is much greater in the larger society. Such in Ante Bellum, South Carolina and Mississippi, slaves out numbered whites, and white create hard discipline to control the black.

6. Geographic Mobility

When one group encroaches on the territory of another, Confrontation is inevitable. Such the migration of black families to northern cities during word war II this migration led to several racial clashes, the most serious which took place in Detroit.15

2. The Forms of Discrimination

James Stuart Olson said in his book, The Ethnic Dimension in American History that discrimination assumes in many forms such as:

a. Verbal abuse: the example of verbal abuse is such the Ethnic Jokes.

Paul A.Shackle (2003),p.8

James Stuart Olson, The Ethnic Dimension In American History, Newyork ; St. Martin Press, 1979).p.xxiii

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b. Avoidance: in restaurants and public places Americans may congregate racially, the white flight to the suburbs in America.

c. Segregation: unfair treatment of others, through either private or legal means. This form is formal discrimination, whether sanctioned by private custom or legal authority.

d. De-jure segregation: this exclusion of certain group was sanctioned by law.16 From the 1880’s through the early 1960’s, southern African American were subject to “Jim Crow” law in schools, housing hospitals, jobs, theaters, parks, restaurants and transportation lines and depot.

e. Discrimination becomes violent:

This form is such as vandalism Nazi when doing genocide to the Jews in German. Or Ku Klux Klan when bums a cross in the yard of a black family.

The African American were excluded in many cities and towns in America, African Americans were not allowed to share a taxi with whites, enter a building through the same entrance, the bus system in Montgomery, Alabama, the law required the black to ride at the back of the bus, or the African American had to drink from separate water fountains from white, use separate restrooms and attend separate schools.17

Ibid

Young T.J. Williams, American Realities Historical Episodes, from Reconstruction to The present, (Boston; Little Brown, 1981), p.25.

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A. DATA DESCRIPTION 1. Preacher, Don't Send Me

The writer takes this poem from the book "The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou published by Random House, Inc. New York: 1994. This poem is divided into thirty two lines which are written in four stanzas. Angelou used figurative imagery, visual imagery and metaphor.

This poem told about the African American who asked to the preacher not to send him after his death to the same life, condition and same place (Ghetto), the African American was excluded and isolated in this ghetto area, they had to stay at this place voluntary or involuntary, they were treated badly by the whites, segregation, discrimination, and inequality happened to them. Commonly, this poem described about the condition of African American in America that always feel suffer, and jazz became description his paradise. The paradise was like the beautiful music, the music which always accompanied him.

Preacher in this poem assumed as the theologians who used the religion as their tool to create several conditions to support the discriminations.

In the last stanza the African American expressed his trauma from the discrimination that he faced from his child.

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1. Preacher, Don't Send Me

Preacher don't send me 1

When I die

To some big Ghetto In the sky

Where rats eat cats 5

Of the leopard type And Sunday brunch Is grits and tripe I've known those rats

I `ve seen them kill 10

And the grits I've had Would make a hill Or may be a mountain, So what I need

From you on Sunday 15

Is different creed Preacher, please don't Promise me

Streets of gold

and milk for free 20

I stopped all milk At four years old And once I'm dead I wont need gold

I `d call a place 25

Pure paradise

Where families are loyal And stranger are nice Where the music is jazz

And the season is fall 30

Promise me that Or nothing at all

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2. Still I Rise

“Still I Rise” _{taken from the book "The Complete Collected Poems of} Maya Angelou published by Random House, Inc. New York: 1994. This poem is divided into eight stanzas and forty four lines. Angelou used figurative imagery, visual imagery and metaphor.

In this poem the African American expressed his deep pride in his race, despite all the twisted lies scripted in history, he was as a black person will rise. He even thought that the black “haughtiness” offends the whites who want to see the black race broken and weakened. “Does my haughtiness offend you? Don’t you take it awful hard ‘cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines diggin’ in my own back yard.” he is honored by his history that is rooted in slavery, abuse, and pain. “Out of the huts of history’s shame I rise. Up from a past that’s rooted in shame I rise.” The black race was as vast as an ocean vibrating with the richness of its heritage. It is rising above all the terror and fear that has haunted it. “Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear I rise. Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave. I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise.”

In this poem, Angelou told about the African American struggle for equality, the African American in this poem resisted their fate, destiny and unfair treatment toward them. At the nineteenth century the African American segregated in many forms. Such as through the history of America, the white historians deliberately wrote the African American down in history for their

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purposes to create them always inferior, the truth was twisted by their lies, they wrote the lies in their history.

2. Still I Rise

Still I Rise

you may write me down in history 1

With your bitter twisted lies You may trod me in the very dirt But Still, like dust, I'll rise

Does my sassiness upset you ? 5

Why are you beset with gloom Cause I walk like I've got oil wells Pumping in my living room

Just like moon and like the suns 10

With certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing highs, Still I'll rise

Did you want see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes ? 15

Shoulder falling down like teardrops Weakened by my soulful cries Does my haughtiness offend you? Don’t you take it awful hard

Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines 20 Diggin' in my own back yard

You may shoot me with your words You may cut me with your eyes. You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still like air, I'll Rise 25

Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I've got diamonds At the meeting of my tight

Out of huts of history's shame 30

I rise

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I rise

I'm black ocean, leaping and wide

Welling and swelling I bear in the title 35 Leaving behind night of terror and fear

I rise

Into a day break that's wondrously clear 1 rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestor gave 40 I am the dream and the hope of the slave

I rise I rise I rise

3. Equality

“Equality”taken from the book "The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou published by Random House, Inc. New York: 1994. This poem divided into two stanzas and twenty nine lines. Angelou used figurative imagery, visual imagery auditory imagery and metaphor.

In this poem, Angelou told about, the African American becomes invisible human. The speaker said the white always saw him in dimly which never shine. Even, he stood in front of his eyes. The whites saw them dimly or in other mean the whites looked they down as human.

The African American tried to let people saw how that he was no different from them. The whites saw him as a human who had loose morals. Society tries not to see him or hear him. he speaks his message loudly and clearly and his rhythm was never changes. But, society stood deaf and blind to anything he said or did.

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3. Equality

Equality

You declare you see me dimly 1

Through a glass which will not shine, Though I stand before you boldly, Trim in rank and making time.

You do own to hear me faintly 5

As a whisper out of range

While my drums beat out the message As the rhythms never change.

Equality, and I will be free.

Equality, and I will be free. 10

You announce my ways are wanton, That I fly from man to man

But if I'm just a shadow to you, Could you ever understand?

We have lived a painful history. 15

But I keep on marching forward, And you keep on coming last. Equality, and I will be free. Equality, and I will be free.

Take the blinder from your vision, 20

Take the padding from your ears, And confess you've heard me crying, And admit you've seen me tears, Hear the tempo so compelling,

Hear the blood throb through the veins. 25 Yes my drums are beating nightly,

And the rhythms never change. Equality, and I will be free. Equality, and I will be free.

A. ANALYSIS OF DATA 1. Preacher, Don't Send Me a. Line 1 – 4 Stanza 1

Preacher don't send me When I die

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The idea of race discrimination was reflected by the first persona, the word I and me indicated this reflections. At the first line the persona asked to the preacher not to send him after his die to the same life, condition and same place (Ghetto), the word me is the African American.

The word Preacher in first line was symbol of theologians who was used the religion as their tool to create several conditions to support the discriminations. According to the theologians -in this type- whites people were chosen people, African American was cursed to be servant, and God supported racial segregation. The religion at nineteenth century was often used by the whites as their shield and supported their superiority.

At many ritual and religion ceremonials the white preachers told the themes obedience, patient, submission and gratitude, as a tool of social control and to support racism system.

In third line the word of ghetto refers to the African American ghetto, the term Ghetto is referred to racist, elitist and culturally insensitive, and the mention of such a word to describe a working-class ethnic community is considered a generalization or an insult.1

Actually, the African American was excluded and isolated in this ghetto area, they had to stay at this place voluntary or involuntary, they were treated badly by the whites, segregation, discrimination, and inequality happened to them.

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b. Line 4-10 Stanza 1 and 2

Where rats eat cats Of the leopard type And Sunday brunch Is grits and tripe

The poet uses the figurative language in the poet” rats eat cats” described the people in ghetto area. The life was described in horrible description. The speaker said his Sunday brunch only grits and tripe, Sunday brunch was the event where the whole member of family meet at family event, at Sunday brunch. The life in the black Ghetto is not worth for human life, many criminalities, prostitution murderer and other bad acts.

The words of eat, kill, refer to their actions, and these words described the situations above.

I've known those rats I've seen them kill.

In the tenth line the word of “I’ve seen them kill " described the torture had been there for a long time, the persona had been living there, had been seen, and had been felt how the ghetto situation. They had lived in ghetto for long time to witness the whole acts, the people inside the ghetto prohibited by the laws to live out the ghetto.

In South America the African Americans were discriminated legally ruled by the laws for not allowed to get their own home outside Ghetto area, the laws which were made by the government caused the agents of real estate unable to sell the home inside white areas to African American.

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c. Line 10-20 Stanza 2 and 3

Line 10-18 the speaker asked the preacher not to promise him the gold and milk, this line discussed about the disappointment of African American, they were tied by the superior lies, and the promise just become promises which never come true, the promise of equality, freedom and treated as American.

Preacher, please don't Promise me

Streets of gold And milk, for free/..

Promise here can be the meaning of promises of whites which always were betrayed by the themselves, promises had also other meaning, it was a description of American dreams concept "freedom, equality" these dreams betrayed by the whites people by their segregations and discriminations.

d. Line 21 – 24 Stanza 3 and 4

Line 21 – 24 still discussed the disappointment of African American about the conditions and situations.

I stopped all milk At four years old And once I'm dead I wont need gold

They stopped to believe the preacher promises from his childhood, the word of milk and gold were the symbol of dream and hope.

e. Line 25- 32

I `d call a place Pure paradise

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Line 25 the persona told about paradise in his perception Paradise as the symbol of their hopes.

Line 27- 28 described the paradise which they mean was the place, where the families loyal and the stranger were nice. The paradise was the place where the people did not look down others, no segregation, violence, abuse, discrimination, equal treatment, and fair competition.

f. Line 32

Line 32, the word of “or nothing at all” this line reflects the trauma that he faced in his childhood and adolescence.

2. Still I Rise

a. Line 1- 3 Stanza 1

you may write me down in history With your bitter twisted lies

The idea of race discrimination was reflected by the first persona, the word of I and me indicates these reflections, In the first line the poet used the word “write me” for describing the discrimination in verbal abuse to African American by the Whites American, in this line we find how the African American was betrayed by his country, white historians wrote the African American down as inferior, twisted the truth by their lies and hiding the fact from the national history

The African American segregated in many form. Such as through the history of America, the white historians deliberately wrote the African American down in history for their purposes to create them always inferior, the truth was

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twisted by their lies, they wrote the lies in their history. The white manipulated the fact, through the science, history, anthropology and religion.

b. Line 4-5 Stanza 1

You may trod me in the very dirt But Still, like dust, I'll rise

The poet uses of figurative imagery described the white segregations. Speaker said even the African American trod him in the dirt, he will rise like the dust, can be defined as even the African American segregated and discriminated he will resist and fight the whites’ segregation.

c. Line 5-8 Stanza 2

In the line 5-4 or second stanza the persona said that the whites was set in gloom and upset because of jealousy to African American. In the nineteenth century, after the abolition of slavery the African American life changed gradually, some of them become the rich man, and success person. Economic mobility and job competition became the source of jealousy between the whites and African Americans and the segregation became crueler than before.

These words reflected the gradual changed life: Does my haughtiness offend you... ... Did you want see me broken ... Does my sassiness upset you.

d. line 10-17 Stanza 3 and 4

The figurative imagery described the spirit of rebellions metaphoric by the words: like moons, like suns and like hopes will always springing high.

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Like moon and like the suns With certainty of tides

Just like hopes springing highs

In the line 10-17 the persona discussed about the spirit rebellions and resistance, when the acts of discrimination crueler and harder.

Their struggles were not in smooth way and had been many pressures done to them. The race discrimination became harder and done vividly in front of their eyes to them and the whole member of family, such the: child, woman, and old man, they were segregated in public area, restaurants, Public Park, and in the school.

In the fifth stanza is same as the second stanza, the content of this stanza is the question of African American to the whites. Are they upset and be set in gloom because their haughtiness now? This describes the jealousy and arrogance of white.

e. Line 22 -25 Stanza 6

You may shoot me with your words You may cut me with your eyes. You may kill me with your hatefulness

Line 22-25 discussed about forms of discrimination to African American, the word of shoot, cut, kill were the terror words. These visual imagery were choosed by the poet to describe the African American segregations, the African American abused in their American history, much of whites were written in American history book as hero at the war, but the African American which follow the war were not written. Many monuments were built to memorize the white

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heroes at the war but the African American were not.

The inferior did not always accept their destiny, they wanted the freedom, and then looked like the dust they would rise up to get their right. "The right as human"

f. Line 30 Stanza 8

Out of huts of history's shame I rise

Up from a past that rooted in pain.

In line 30 the word of huts as figurative imagery described the slavery era which was rooted in pain.

g. Line 36 Stanza 9

Leaving behind night of terror and fear

Line 35-50 discussed about the life of slavery era which was in pain, this pain described in their live which was living behind night of fear and terror.

In the first, third, fifth and seventh stanza told about the resistance and rebellion, the inferior (the persona) in this poem resisted their fate, destiny and unfair treatment toward them. They were bored by the system, and they resisted the system through their struggle and rebellions. "But still like dust I rise ", and to they woke up and got up standing for their right, to make their ancestor dreams came true. The freedom as human was the dream and hopes their ancestor.

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3. Equality

a. Line 1-4 Stanza 1

You declare you see me dimly

Through a glass which will not shine, Though I stand before you boldly, Trim in rank and making time.

The poet used the visual imagery to describe the idea, “..dimly/… shine/… boldly/… Trim in rank… “The speaker in this poem was the African American, The speaker said the white always saw him in dimly which never shine. Even, he stood in front of his eyes. The African American said that the whites in America saw them dimly or in other mean the whites looked them down as human.

b. Line 3- 4 discussed about the African American became invisible human ´ I stand before you boldly, Trim in rank ‘ they dehumanized by the superior. The white hatefulness imaged as the sight of white as if in deem even the African American was in front of the white eyes

The background of this poem was the social situation in America at nineteenth century, at the time the segregations and discriminations were done frankly and vividly on public area, at station, restaurants, water fountain and other places.

c. Line 5-8 Stanza 1

You do own to hear me faintly As a whisper out of range

While my drums beat out the message As the rhythms never change.

The description of segregation was described in line 5-8. The poet used the auditorial imagery to describe the idea, these lines were described as the hateful

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of white and the whites were described in huge hateness, the speaker said that the whites never heard him even he beat the drums loudly.

The African American access was closed by the white America access from many ways. They closed the access for get the job, career, the accommodations, transportation and other public access and the white could not hear the sound of adversity and grief of African American and the poet imaged it as the whisper out of range even the African American drums beat out

d. Line 11-15 Stanza 2

I'm just a shadow to you

Line 11-15 still discussed the same idea, in the second stanza Angelou used the imagery a shadow, for description of whites treatment. The assumption of African American just a shadow for the white people is the chosen language for describe the idea.

e. line 16-17 Stanza 2 and 3

Line 16-17 discussed about the treatment of whites, even though the slavery was abolished at the nineteenth century, the whites created new transformation of slavery system in Jim Crow laws, the idea of superior of white became the main substance in these laws.

f. Line 20-27 Stanza 3

Take the blinder from your vision, Take the padding from your ears, And confess you've heard me crying, And admit you've seen me tears,

In this stanza, the poet used the visual imagery and auditory imagery to create the reader to go down and feel the speaker’s misery.

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Line 20-27 discussed about the haughtiness and the selfishness of whites, the persona or the speaker asked the whites to open their eyes, ears, but the whites did not want.

The auditory imagery strengthened the message of the poem word heard, hear the tempo, drums beat and rhythm were the chosen words.

These words were chosen to express how horrible the discriminations, hard of the struggles and efforts the African Americanes in the nineteenth century for fighting back the whites in America.

From first stanza to the last, it can be found the repetition of words, the poet wrote Equality, and I will be free. She repeated this word in each stanza, these are to express the speaker‘s resistance, spirit of rebellion and the hope of the discrimination should not happen again

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CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

A. Conclusions

The background of the three poems of Maya Angelou was the conditions and situations of African American in America at the nineteenth century, at that time so many discriminations and segregations to the African American, conducted by the white American to create the African American in inferior position.

Angelou described the discrimination and segregation to African American by her word and perspective. Those were expressed by the horrible and difficult life of African American in America. The first person in these poems also can be as the representative of Maya Angelou’s community and group experience. Maya was also born as African American and many of the problems encountered her childhood from the prejudices of her white neighbors who treated her family at blatant contempt.

Finally, the writer concludes that the three Maya Angelou’s poems talk about African American experience. As the citizen of America, they set apart from the other; in politic, economy and social life. Angelou wrote what she see around her. Racial discrimination is a fact in America; at least we can see it in three Angelou’s poems.

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B. Suggestions

Based on the study in this paper, it is clear that literary has important role to development of human civilization. Through literary work it can give the description about information of the way the author represents her mind, where as at the time African American endured the great depression caused by the discrimination and segregation, which changed the American social and political.

Finally, the writer hopes this thesis can give a positive contribution in literature study, especially for the students of English Letters Department, Letters and Humanities Faculty, State Islamic University of Jakarta, as an additional reference in studying African-American poetry.

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Line 20-27 discussed about the haughtiness and the selfishness of whites, the persona or the speaker asked the whites to open their eyes, ears, but the whites did not want.

The auditory imagery strengthened the message of the poem word heard, hear the tempo, drums beat and rhythm were the chosen words.

These words were chosen to express how horrible the discriminations, hard of the struggles and efforts the African Americanes in the nineteenth century for fighting back the whites in America.

(2)

CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

A. Conclusions

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B. Suggestions

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BIBLIOGRAPHY